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Multiflora Rose

Rosa multiflora

Common Name: Multiflora rose
Scientific Name: Rosa multiflora
Family: Roseaceae
Growth Form: Shrub
Native Range: East Asia
Invasive Range: Across the United States
Introduction: The Multiflora rose was introduced to the United States in 1866 when it was imported as a root stock for other roses.  It has since naturalized over much of the United States, where its seeds are spread by birds and other animals.  Runners from a single plant can create dense thickets.
Description: ·Leaves: Compound, alternate, 7-9 toothed leaflets, each 2-4 cm (1-2 in.) long.  Large, feathered stipule at leaf base.

·Branches: Smooth, can be arching.  Have thorns.

·Flowers: White with yellow center.  Fragrant.  Can be found in June.  2.5 cm (1 in.) in diameter.   

·Fruit: Rosehips; found in clusters.  Persist into winter.
Threats: The Multiflora rose is incredibly prolific.  It shuts out native vegetation, generally in disturbed areas such as successional fields and forest edges.  On average, a multiflora rose plant produces one million seeds each year, and each of these seeds is viable in the soil for up to twenty years.
Fun Facts: Beginning in the 1930s, the multiflora rose was promoted as and excellent tool to prevent erosion and create “living fences” by the U.S. Soil Conservation Service.  It has also been planted in the median strips of highways to prevent glare and act as a crash barrier. 
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Single rosehip